Protest, Hunger, and the Choices that Define Us

This past Shabbat, I read Judaism and Global Survival (2002) by Richard Schwartz. From the very first chapter, Schwartz sets the tone: Judaism is not a quiet religion of withdrawal, but a faith of involvement and protest. Abraham protested Sodom’s destruction. Moshe protested Pharaoh’s tyranny. The prophets protested injustice and hypocrisy in Israel itself. To be a Jew is to care, to raise your voice, to refuse indifference.

His words felt especially alive this week, as Israel’s streets filled with protests — centred in Tel Aviv — calling for more action on the release of the hostages.

And then I turned to the Parsha.

Re’eh: Blessing and Curse, Choice and Consequence

Parshat Re’eh begins with a dramatic declaration:

“See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God; and the curse, if you do not.” (Deut. 11:26–28)

The Torah insists that we are not spectators. We are choosers. Our moral decisions — in personal life, in society, in politics, in economics — determine whether we live in blessing or in a curse.

Israel today faces this same choice. Will we be a society of blessings, rooted in justice, compassion, and holiness? Or will we follow the path of curse, chasing idols of power, wealth, and consumption at the expense of people, animals, and the earth?

This week was the anniversary of the deaths of the six beautiful hostages, including Hersh, brutally murdered in cold blood by Hamas. While Hamas has chosen Evil, the words of Rachel Polin Golberg are particularly poignant.

“We are not what we say, we are not what we think, and we are not even what we believe. In this life, we are what we do.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKPRWJVNyBu/?igsh=MWs0eGk0ejNzazRmOQ%3D%3D

Protest and Involvement: The Jewish Mandate

The prophets understood this. Isaiah thundered:

“Learn to do good; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the orphan, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17)

Amos declared:

“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” (Amos 5:24)

Parshat Re’eh reminds us that choosing blessing means not remaining silent:

• Protest poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
• Protest cruelty against animals and the unsustainable culture of meat.
• Protest the idols of wealth and technology when they replace God and morality.
• Protest division and hatred that fracture the Jewish people.

This is not politics — it is covenant.

Caring for the Hunger: Local Duty, Global Mission

Re’eh commands:

“You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor, and to your needy.” (Deut. 15:11)

This is not only a local obligation but a global mission. Poverty and malnutrition remain among the greatest curses of our age. Over 800 million people worldwide suffer from hunger. Children are stunted, families broken, and futures lost — not because there is not enough food, but because of how we choose to distribute and prioritize resources.

Xero Hunger is number 2 of the UN SDGs. This is how this is described on https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/

“Goal 2 is about creating a world free of hunger by 2030. The global issue of hunger and food insecurity has shown an alarming increase since 2015, a trend exacerbated by a combination of factors, including the pandemic, conflict, climate change, and deepening inequalities.

By 2023, nearly 1 in 11 people worldwide faced hunger, while more than 2 billion experienced moderate to severe food insecurity. Global hunger levels, measured by the prevalence of undernourishment, remained at the same level for three consecutive years after a sharp rise during the pandemic. This data underscores the severity of the situation, revealing a growing crisis.”

The Real-World Challenge of Malnutrition

• Each year, about 5 million children under 5 die worldwide.
• Malnutrition — particularly undernutrition (stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies) — is the underlying cause of ~45% of these deaths.
• That translates to ~2.3 million under-5 deaths every year attributable to malnutrition.

To ignore global malnutrition is to choose the curse. To open our hands is to bring blessing — not only to others but to ourselves.

Yet, there are no protests. The only protest we see is for a Free Palestine from the River to the Sea (how sad. How sic)

Real action, not protests, is needed – If the world needs a global unifying cause on Zero Hunger , this should be it – see my website  https://farmup.tech/ for what is needed.

Watch the video: The Power of $10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5X0cvXA3jY&list=TLGGihooIscjcO4yMTA4MjAyNQ

Animals, Meat, and Holiness

Re’eh also lists the kosher and non-kosher animals, reminding Israel that holiness extends even to what they eat. Kosher eating reinforces spiritual discipline and distinct identity.

It is striking to read this while reflecting on Schwartz’s critique of the global meat industry. Judaism permits meat, but within limits. Ramban and Rambam both note that eating meat is a concession, not an ideal. The Torah reminds us: food is covenant, not consumption.

Today’s Contrast

Modern factory farming — mass cruelty to animals, deforestation, climate emissions, and overconsumption — stands in sharp contrast to the Torah’s vision of holiness and compassion (tza’ar ba’alei chayim). Choosing blessing may mean rethinking our diet, reducing meat, and embracing more compassionate and sustainable ways of eating.

Consider this:

• Producing one hamburger requires roughly 660 gallons of water — the equivalent of two months’ worth of daily showers.
• Livestock uses 77% of global agricultural land while providing less than 20% of the world’s calories.
• The meat industry is responsible for about 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

In a world of climate crisis, famine, and environmental collapse, kosher eating today may mean not only following the halachic rules but also making ethical choices to reduce harm.

Tithes and Care for the Needy

Re’eh outlines tithing obligations:

• Ma’aser sheni (second tithe) — to be eaten in Jerusalem, fostering connection to the holy center.
• Ma’aser ani (tithe for the poor) every third year, supporting social justice and communal responsibility.

Lessons for Today

These mitzvot balance spiritual devotion with ethical care for the vulnerable. They remind us that religion is not private piety alone. Every Jew had to build Jerusalem as a center of holiness, and every Jew had to sustain the poor.

But supporting the poor is not about handouts; it is covenantal justice — empowering every person to live with dignity, independence, and purpose. The Torah’s vision of ma’aser ani is not meant to trap people in dependency but to give them the tools and opportunity to rebuild their lives. In today’s world, this means more than food or financial aid; it means investing in education, skills, micro-enterprise, and fair access to opportunity. Judaism calls us not simply to relieve suffering in the moment but to remove its causes — to open the door so that the vulnerable can become contributors, leaders, and partners in shaping a society of blessing.

Shemitah and Economic Justice

Re’eh reiterates the command of Shemitah: debts must be released every seventh year (Deut. 15:1–2).

This radical law reminds us that wealth and power cannot be absolute; society must be periodically reset to prevent entrenched poverty. But Shemitah is not only about release — it is about renewal. It is not designed to create dependency but to give people a fresh start, a chance to rebuild their lives with dignity and independence.

Lessons for Today

• In a world where crushing debt and inequality keep millions trapped, Shemitah challenges us to design systems that do not entrench poverty but liberate people to thrive.
• Economic justice means more than short-term relief; it means empowering individuals with the tools, education, and opportunities to stand on their own feet.
• Just as land rests to regain its fertility, people, too, must be given the chance to reset and recover their strength, so they can contribute fully to society.

Modern Echoes of Shemitah

We see glimpses of this today in initiatives like debt relief for developing nations, which allows countries suffocated by interest payments to invest instead in schools, healthcare, and infrastructure. Programs like microfinance and skills training empower families to start small businesses and break the cycle of generational poverty. These are not handouts; they are second chances, rooted in the Shemitah principle that society is strongest when every person has the opportunity to flourish.

Shemitah teaches that true justice is not about permanent aid but about creating the conditions where all can live free, productive, and purposeful lives.

Unity, Idolatry, and Modern Challenges

The parsha stresses worship in one central place — later Jerusalem — to unify the people. Today, Israel struggles with fragmentation: secular vs. religious, right vs. left, Jewish vs. Arab. Without a shared moral centre, we risk collapse.

Re’eh warns against idols — not just ancient statues, but modern ones: money, power, technology. These can divide and enslave us if they replace our covenant with God.

Festivals: Joy, Gratitude, and Solidarity

Finally, Re’eh commands the celebration of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot — festivals of memory, harvest, and gratitude.

In a time of protest, division, and fear, the Torah reminds us that holiness is also joy. We gather, eat together, and celebrate God’s blessings. A society of blessing is one that knows how to rejoice — not only in individual success but in shared destiny.

Conclusion: Choosing in a World of Confusion

As we can see, Parshat Re’eh calls us not only to choose between good and evil but to act, to make a difference in the world.

Yet today, it often feels as if we no longer know what to choose.

I say this not as an abstract reflection, but as a Jew living in Israel. We do not know how to choose the path to end this war. We are torn between compassion and the call for more war to eliminate Hamas and to push back against Iran. We do not know how to choose a future that frees our hostages and secures our land.

We do not know how to choose in a world that seems to suggest — through silence, false equivalence, misplaced outrage — that somehow we deserved what happened on October 7, and that a Judenrein Palestine should replace our historical homeland.

Unfortunately, the decisions and choices are not as easy as I wrote in my blog last week: To be loved or feared. By continuing this war, there are many consequences, not least that Israel’s image has become toxic. Yet we must find a way to articulate how Israel, Judaism, and global survival are intertwined.

The world claims it wants justice, peace, and a better place, and yet its choices — its protests, its pronouncements, its policies — often lead to the opposite.

Schwartz’s Judaism and Global Survival reminds us that protest and involvement are essential, that silence is complicity. Parshat Re’eh reminds us that the choice between blessing and curse is never neutral.

And perhaps the most urgent lesson of Re’eh today is this: blessing comes not only by protesting injustice but by empowering people to live with dignity and independence. Charity alone cannot heal a broken world. Justice, opportunity, and covenantal responsibility can.

Even when the world is confused, even when justice is distorted, we as Jews must keep choosing — choosing life, choosing dignity, choosing empowerment over dependency, choosing protest against evil, and choosing faith that blessing is still possible.

For us. For Israel. For the world.

Footnote: Richard Schwartz

After reading Judaism and Global Survival, I reached out to Richard Schwartz, and I look forward to meeting him at his home at the Protea Hills retirement complex in Shoresh.

Richard, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the College of Staten Island, is a leading Jewish voice on vegetarianism, environmental ethics, and global survival. Author of Judaism and Vegetarianism, Judaism and Global Survival, and Vegan Revolution, he has served as President of Jewish Veg and was inducted into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame. His life’s work is a call to align Jewish values with compassion for animals, care for the planet, and tikkun olam.

Cover image created by ChatGPT (DALL·E) and is free for commercial use in accordance with copyright law and OpenAI’s terms of service. Other Images are sourced from social media.